Essential Understandings: 1. Every story, no matter who is telling it or from where it is from, has structure. 2. A well crafted plan is often the foundation for a well crafted product. 3. With number 2 in mind, original plans need to be killed when they block the creative process. And then you move forward. 4. It's okay to not know what the next step is, just believe that you will figure it out. Perseverance is necessary for creating a story using film.
Be very conscious of the question you are raising. Like every story is a detective novel. You might meet a lot of people and go a lot of places but in the end, you waiting to see who the murder is. You need: The bait. The problem. Ira Glass, talking about forward motion of plot because people want to know what is going to happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDdIgpdDIss
First, read "Understanding Film Theory" pages 1- 41. Takes notes on the important points. ... Follow the directions below. For anytime that is says "script"or "documentary" in the instructions below just substitute in the word "paper." You do not need to write a script now, just an exploratory essay. Your paper should be a minimum of 4 pages long (1200 words). You are comparing 2 films for this paper FROM TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES instead of 4 like you will next year. (For different foreign films do compare I would suggest you start with a Chinese film that you are fairly familiar with and compare it to a western film. This should make this first assignment easier. However if you feel comfortable comparing a French New Wave film to an American Film Noir, you can do that, but only if you feel very comfortable with film history and theory at this point.) I have included the description of the External Assessment- Independent Study from the guide below, word for word, so that you get to used to what the IB expects when you submit this next year.
External assessment details—HL
Independent study (Part 1 of the External Assessment)
Weighting: 25%
. Independent Study: This component is based film theory and history but also draws to some extent on textual analysis. The aim of the independent study is to encourage students to engage in some depth with a cinematic tradition that is unfamiliar to their own culture.
. Students must produce a script for a complete short documentary production exploring an aspect of film theory or film history, based on the study of films from more than one country. The documentary should be targeted at an audience of film students in the 14 to 18 years age range. Among the topics students may choose to investigate are:
(For this assignment only)
genre
theme
direction
use of sound
color
editing
lighting
The topic should be discussed primarily in cinematic terms.
. The prime voice of the documentary must clearly be that of the student, who will also act as the narrator, on- screen host and/or voice-over. Students must ensure that any comments or ideas they attribute to celebrities or others, such as experts, are fully supported by detailed references in the annotated list of sources.
. Students at HL must make reference to a minimum of four films in their independent study. The chosen films must originate from more than one country. At the HL level, comparisons between the films should be made. END OF EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT DETAILS
Ten years ago on a cool dark night There was someone killed 'neath the town hall light There were few at the scene and they all did agree That the man who ran looked a lot like me
The judge said "Son, what is your alibi? If you were somewhere else then you won't have to die" I spoke not a word although it meant my life I had been in the arms of my best friend's wife
She walks these hills in a long black veil She visits my grave where the night winds wail Nobody knows, no, and nobody sees Nobody knows but me
The scaffold was high and eternity neared She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear But sometimes at night when the cold wind moans In a long black veil she cries over my bones
Ten years ago, on a cold dark night Someone was killed, 'neath the town hall light There were few at the scene, but they all agreed That the slayer who ran, looked a lot like me
Now she walks these hills in a long black veil She visits my grave when the night winds wail Nobody knows, nobody sees Nobody knows but me
The scaffold was high and eternity near She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear But sometimes at night, when the cold wind moans In a long black veil, she cries over my bones
She walks these hills in a long black veil She visits my grave when the night winds wail Nobody knows, nobody sees Nobody knows but me
The judge said son, what is your alibi? If you were somewhere else, then you won't have to die I spoke not a word, thou it meant my life I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife
She walks these hills in a long black veil She visits my grave when the night winds wail Nobody knows, nobody sees Nobody knows but me
Storyboarding: Why?
After you write a script, or for some people during or even before the script comes storyboarding. This is where you physically draw/sketch out the shots that you plan on taking. It is the story in pictures. It is your map. Used in conjunction with the script it keeps you on course.
Assignment: Create a storyboard and accompanying script with very little to no dialogue. Remember, the more dialogue you have in a complicated shot like this the harder everything will be. Work in groups to create your storyboard. Once it is finished, go out on location and make any adjustments that you need to make. Take notes. Look at possible problems, obstacles, and change your storyboard to adapt to those potential problems.
Storyboard Challenge: Storyboard and shoot a Long Take
A long take is a single take or a shot that doesn't have a cut and lasts for a much longer time that usual. Birdman is the most recent example that was meant to seem as if it was shot as one single long take. Everything needs to be planned out before hand. Everything needs to happen just on time. The best way to do a long take is to forget that your acting and just live the scene as if it's your normal life. If something unexpected happens (and it probably will) just go with it. You never cut during a long take. Just keep rolling. This is true for many scenes but especially a long take.
They key is to create the feeling that life happening around us and we're just moving with it. There are technical things to consider. What is your ISO going to be as you move from place to place? Are you going full manual or are you going to let the camera do the work? How will you do the audio? Will you put microphones on the actors, on the camera- how much of it will you insert later? (Hint: You should have at least three audio tracks and two should be put in during editing). Remember, this is complicated enough, don't make it harder than it needs to be. This challenge really gets you into the deep end of film making.
Plan it but go with it. Nothing every goes exactly according to plan. Your actors have to work with it and improvise. A good example is "Children of Men", below. Blood got onto the camera lens and the director said cut but everyone kept filming anyway and that was the take they used. When you are filming you are very much alive. Let that life guide your film making.
You all need to learn how to keep the camera steady while moving. A minor movement of the camera is okay if you are going for a hand held look. But you need to practice your breathing and walking to keep the camera steady as you move with your subject We will go over this in class.
First step, create your storyboard. Second step, go out and physically map out your route and walk it a few times to understand it. Third, go shoot it.
Approaches to Creation: How Do We Tell Stories?
6 weeks
Essential Understandings:
1. Every story, no matter who is telling it or from where it is from, has structure.
2. A well crafted plan is often the foundation for a well crafted product.
3. With number 2 in mind, original plans need to be killed when they block the creative process. And then you move forward.
4. It's okay to not know what the next step is, just believe that you will figure it out. Perseverance is necessary for creating a story using film.
Be very conscious of the question you are raising. Like every story is a detective novel. You might meet a lot of people and go a lot of places but in the end, you waiting to see who the murder is.
You need: The bait. The problem. Ira Glass, talking about forward motion of plot because people want to know what is going to happen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDdIgpdDIss
KEEP DOING IT- Ira Glass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbC4gqZGPSY
First Assignment: Due Friday November 20th
First, read "Understanding Film Theory" pages 1- 41. Takes notes on the important points....
Follow the directions below. For anytime that is says "script"or "documentary" in the instructions below just substitute in the word "paper." You do not need to write a script now, just an exploratory essay. Your paper should be a minimum of 4 pages long (1200 words). You are comparing 2 films for this paper FROM TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES instead of 4 like you will next year. (For different foreign films do compare I would suggest you start with a Chinese film that you are fairly familiar with and compare it to a western film. This should make this first assignment easier. However if you feel comfortable comparing a French New Wave film to an American Film Noir, you can do that, but only if you feel very comfortable with film history and theory at this point.) I have included the description of the External Assessment- Independent Study from the guide below, word for word, so that you get to used to what the IB expects when you submit this next year.
External assessment details—HL
Independent study (Part 1 of the External Assessment)
Weighting: 25%
.
Independent Study: This component is based film theory and history but also draws to some extent on textual analysis. The aim of the independent study is to encourage students to engage in some depth with a cinematic tradition that is unfamiliar to their own culture.
.
Students must produce a script for a complete short documentary production exploring an aspect of film theory or film history, based on the study of films from more than one country. The documentary should be targeted at an audience of film students in the 14 to 18 years age range. Among the topics students may choose to investigate are:
(For this assignment only)
The topic should be discussed primarily in cinematic terms.
.
The prime voice of the documentary must clearly be that of the student, who will also act as the narrator, on- screen host and/or voice-over. Students must ensure that any comments or ideas they attribute to celebrities or others, such as experts, are fully supported by detailed references in the annotated list of sources.
.
Students at HL must make reference to a minimum of four films in their independent study. The chosen films must originate from more than one country. At the HL level, comparisons between the films should be made.
END OF EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT DETAILS
Two different ways to tell a story:
The Band
Telling it chronologically:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9oiPbNoEp0
Ten years ago on a cool dark night
There was someone killed 'neath the town hall light
There were few at the scene and they all did agree
That the man who ran looked a lot like me
The judge said "Son, what is your alibi?
If you were somewhere else then you won't have to die"
I spoke not a word although it meant my life
I had been in the arms of my best friend's wife
She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave where the night winds wail
Nobody knows, no, and nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The scaffold was high and eternity neared
She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear
But sometimes at night when the cold wind moans
In a long black veil she cries over my bones
.................................................................................................
Johnny Cash:
Telling the story non chronologically:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJshBUYkpFI
Ten years ago, on a cold dark night
Someone was killed, 'neath the town hall light
There were few at the scene, but they all agreed
That the slayer who ran, looked a lot like me
Now she walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The scaffold was high and eternity near
She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear
But sometimes at night, when the cold wind moans
In a long black veil, she cries over my bones
She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The judge said son, what is your alibi?
If you were somewhere else, then you won't have to die
I spoke not a word, thou it meant my life
I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife
She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
Storyboarding: Why?
After you write a script, or for some people during or even before the script comes storyboarding. This is where you physically draw/sketch out the shots that you plan on taking. It is the story in pictures. It is your map. Used in conjunction with the script it keeps you on course.
Assignment: Create a storyboard and accompanying script with very little to no dialogue. Remember, the more dialogue you have in a complicated shot like this the harder everything will be.
Work in groups to create your storyboard. Once it is finished, go out on location and make any adjustments that you need to make. Take notes. Look at possible problems, obstacles, and change your storyboard to adapt to those potential problems.
Storyboard Challenge: Storyboard and shoot a Long Take
A long take is a single take or a shot that doesn't have a cut and lasts for a much longer time that usual. Birdman is the most recent example that was meant to seem as if it was shot as one single long take. Everything needs to be planned out before hand. Everything needs to happen just on time. The best way to do a long take is to forget that your acting and just live the scene as if it's your normal life. If something unexpected happens (and it probably will) just go with it. You never cut during a long take. Just keep rolling. This is true for many scenes but especially a long take.They key is to create the feeling that life happening around us and we're just moving with it.
There are technical things to consider. What is your ISO going to be as you move from place to place? Are you going full manual or are you going to let the camera do the work? How will you do the audio? Will you put microphones on the actors, on the camera- how much of it will you insert later? (Hint: You should have at least three audio tracks and two should be put in during editing). Remember, this is complicated enough, don't make it harder than it needs to be.
This challenge really gets you into the deep end of film making.
Plan it but go with it. Nothing every goes exactly according to plan. Your actors have to work with it and improvise. A good example is "Children of Men", below. Blood got onto the camera lens and the director said cut but everyone kept filming anyway and that was the take they used.
When you are filming you are very much alive. Let that life guide your film making.
You all need to learn how to keep the camera steady while moving. A minor movement of the camera is okay if you are going for a hand held look. But you need to practice your breathing and walking to keep the camera steady as you move with your subject We will go over this in class.
First step, create your storyboard.
Second step, go out and physically map out your route and walk it a few times to understand it.
Third, go shoot it.
Check out this music video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESXgJ9-H-2U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17UQz7ANv-o Long Take List
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLFHdagIw6o Long Take List 2
Famous Long Take Examples
Raging BullAtonement
Birdman
GoodFellas
Children of Men
True Detective
The Place Beyond The Pines
The Shining